Advancements in computer and networking technologies have resulted in the creation of computer and information networks such as the Internet which interconnect many thousands of computer systems together to allow them to share information. The computers are connected to one another by digital networks made up of telecommunications facilities, digital switches, bridges, hubs, servers, other computers, etc. Users are able to access the information, for example, using a web browser software program running on a desktop or other type of computer.
The typical manner for obtaining such information is for a user to identify a desired web page or document by specifying in a user request a uniform resource locator (URL) to a web browser software program. The URL will typically specify a location address of a server holding the web page, a file name identifying the web page to the user computer and a communications protocol (e.g. the hypertext transport protocol or http) that the web browser and server should use for the exchange of the content. When a web browser receives a user request for a web page, the web server can respond by obtaining and returning, over the computer network, the contents of the document specified in the request to the requesting web browser.
The Internet can provide, to the consuming public, information originating from all over the world. Users can also access search engines to locate sought-after information, display the information from web sites, search through documents, link to other web sites, etc. in order to view information of interest.
Access network providers have limited means to differentiate their Internet subscriber services because simple packet forwarding is a commodity service, content services are complex and involve larger numbers of publishers with direct consumer relationships, and customers have specific expectations about IP connectivity services. For example, customers are fearful of highly variable charges, and customers are reluctant to pay higher levels of fixed recurring charges unless those charges are clearly identified with a specific benefit presented in an understandable way.
Quality of Service (QoS) is an example of an IP connectivity service, that, were it readily applied to end-user visible traffic, could help differentiate content services in access networks. It is, however difficult for service providers to use QoS to accomplish genuine service differentiation for a variety of reasons.